ṨἿƓƝṨ ἿƝ ҬἬἝ ṨḰὛ: ṨȖƝ ᾋƝƉ ṂὋὋƝ
by Skyward Hawk's Flight
Summary: "Take caution, for the storm is still on the horizon. But with it will come the sun and moon, rising high as the sky."
1. Prologue & Allegiances

**had another fanfic idea come to me while i was angry about spoilers for the newest series of warriors. :'I**

 **like. i love skyclan so much they're literally my fave Why Must They Suffer So Much.**

 **so this is a future AU i guess?**

 **js i'll forgive the erins if skyclan comes to live with the other clans (like it should be already) but otherwise i'm going to be salty for a while about this ngl.**

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" _Exile!_ "

Quailstar's words cracked like thunder through the still night air, the light of the moon reflecting coldly in his dark amber gaze. More than one cat gathered around Stormeyes flinched at the unexpected sharp fury and bitterness in his father's snarl, but the silver-gray tom just narrowed his wild eyes back up at him, unwavering. Even now, he could remember the times that those same eyes were warm with pride, pride that Quailstar had always felt for him.

Now, they were hard as gemstones.

"So, that's it then?" Stormeyes didn't back down, challenging the SkyClan leader, taunting him with his scorn. "You're willing to throw out your own flesh and blood, just like that?"

Hisses of outrage rose from the crowd then, the glint of unsheathed claws and bared teeth encircling the exiled tom. "You killed Silverfang!" Quailstar yowled, his dark fur rising along his spine. "And then tried to murder me as well! How can you accuse me of not caring for my kin when _you_ turned your claws on me without hesitation?!"

"You know why I had to do it, you old fool!" Stormeyes snapped back, his age-old anger rising to the surface like a geyser bursting from the earth. "We are _not_ brave and strong like the SkyClan of old; we're soft! Weak! Our pure blood is constantly diluted by those who are inferior!"

Turning on a group of cats, huddled together like crows at the edge of the throng of cats, he focused his stormy eyes on them with a look of pure hatred. "They've _NEVER_ deserved to be called warriors!"

More defiant yowls rose from the rest of the Clan, disagreeing with Stomeyes' words, but fell silence when a cat pushed her way to the front of the group. Her silver fur shimmered in the moonlight, tail constantly flicking behind her as she faced the silver-gray tom. "Why, my son?" Her mew cracked with grief. "Do you truly feel nothing for your Clan? For your _family?_ "

Her blue-gray eyed were fixed on him, a desperate hope buried in their depths. Stormeyes almost felt guilty, until his gaze rested on the collar still fastened around her neck. A growl rose in his throat, and he turned away. "You are not my family anymore. You haven't been for a long time."

His mother's gasp of pain was clear and full of heartbreak. For a moment, Stormeyes thought that Quailstar was going to jump down and tear out his throat then and there. "The daylight warriors have been a facet of our Clan for generations, and have been crucial to our survival more than once!" He spat. "It seems that you have forgotten what it means to be SkyClan. You desired to chase away some of our most valued Clan members, and now, you will be the one to face that fate for your crimes."

He jerked his muzzle toward the end of the gorge, into the territory beyond. "Go. My son or not, if we find you on our territory by sunhigh, we will not hesitate to kill you."

Stormeyes curled his lip, giving everyone gathered in the gorge one last look of disgust. "I'd like to see any of you try." He felt satisfaction at the fear he saw flash in some of their gazes. "I would have done everything all over again if given the chance. It doesn't matter if you chase me away from here. I will rise again, and when I do, _I. Will. Win_."

Lifting his head proudly, confidently, Stormeyes strode past his former clanmates as they snarled and spat at his paws until he disappeared into the shadows beyond the gorge.

 _My revenge may not be swift,_ Stormeyes curled his lip, _but it will be one that SkyClan will_ never _recover from._

Still standing frozen on the Rockpile, Quailstar released the breath he didn't realize he had been holding in a ragged sigh. He whisked his tail dismissively, pushing away the fear gnawing at his mind. _I have to prove to all of my Clanmates that everything will be okay._

"Flurryfeather." The pale-furred she-cat, almost silver under the moonlight, pricked her ears in surprise as the leader called her name. "We require your kind, gentle heart and spirit more than ever right now. I know that you only recently chose to leave your Twolegs to become a full Clan member, but I say these words before Silverfang, so he can hear and approve of my choice. You will be the new deputy of SkyClan."

Flurryfeather gasped, so loudly Quailstar could still hear it from the top of the Rockpile. The crowd of cats around them slowly began to cheer, gathering momentum the more of the Clan joined in. Bluefrost, Flurryfeather's mate, purred proudly and pressed closer to her, while their daughter Icepaw bounced around them excitedly. "Q-Quailstar…" She stammered for a moment before gazing up at him, warmth glistening in her eyes. "It… It means more to me than anything that you trust me enough to make me your deputy. Ever since I joined the Clan as a daylight-warrior, I knew that the gorge truly was where I belonged. I will protect this Clan with my final breath, I promise you."

Quailstar smiled genuinely back at her, knowing that her vow was true, but the ice in his heart from what he had just done still pained him. "I know you will, Flurryfeather." Lifting his head to scan over the rest of the Clan, he nodded briskly. "StarClan has never stopped watching over us, and I know now more than ever that they will be there to help us through these times. But, for now, we must rest."

As the Clan dispersed, murmuring in low voices to one another, Quailstar felt another claw grip around his chest. It didn't take much for him to figure out what they could be talking about. _Stormeyes… Your mother and I treasured you more than anything._ He stared desperately at the stars. _Why, StarClan? Why my son?_

The sound of claws scrabbling up the Rockpile tore him away from his thoughts, and he turned to meet the now almost painfully familiar eyes of his mate. The same eyes that their only child had inherited. "Quailstar…" He mew was racked with grief. "Was there something I could have done? Something that could have kept him from… from hating me so much?"

He moved closer to her, pulling her against his chest where she rested, trembling, her muzzle pressed deeply into his neck fur. "We're both to blame for this, Bellesong…" It was painful to admit, but true, and they both knew it. "Stormeyes has closed himself off to us. I… I think he's felt this way for longer than either of us knew."

Quailstar lifted his ears when he noticed his medicine cat, Brightberry, clawing up the last ledge to join them. Bellesong must have heard him as well, her ear flicking in his direction, but she didn't move from her spot, still curled against her mate. "Brightberry?" He frowned. "Is there something amiss?"

His concerned expression told him everything he needed to hear. "Quailstar… I've received a message from StarClan." His green eyes flashed in the darkness. "Something that will change everything."

Quailstar stared back at him with intense amber eyes. "I saw Silverfang, as well as… my father." He turned his face to the stars with a faraway look. "And they told me… _Take caution, for the storm is still on the horizon. But with it will come the sun and moon, rising high as the sky._ "

Listening to his words carefully, Quailstar felt his fur rise along his shoulders. "You're right, Brightberry. Great change is coming."

A single star in the distance seemed to glow brighter than the others in that moment. _You're listening even right now, aren't you?_ He mused. _Always worried about us, your descendants, down below._

 _Keeping watching us, spirits of the past. Something is coming… And it's not just rebellion. Something that will change our future forever._

* * *

 **ALLEGIANCES**

SkyClan

Leader: Quailstar – tall, russet brown tabby tom with white paws and a white chest, amber eyes

Apprentice: Burnpaw

Deputy: Flurryfeather – soft-furred pale gray-and-white she-cat with blue eyes

Medicine Cat: Brightberry – creamy-white tom with ginger patches and green eyes

Apprentice: Icepaw – silver tabby-and-white she-cat with pale blue eyes

Warriors:

Crowclaw – jet-black tom with yellow eyes

Bluefrost – blue-furred tom with a white muzzle and dark blue eyes

Flurryfeather – soft-furred pale gray-and-white she-cat with blue eyes

Mallowleaf – speckled brown she-cat with green eyes

Breezebird – black-and-silver tabby she-cat with yellow eyes

Talonstrike – black-and-white tom with green eyes

Apprentice: Oakpaw

Snowthorn – white she-cat with a short tail and amber eyes

Foxfoot – ginger she-cat with black paws and a white-tipped muzzle, blue eyes

Yellowfire – golden tabby she-cat with amber eyes

Morningwind – brown tabby tom with a white chest and amber eyes

Rushingrain – gray-speckled tom with green eyes

Apprentice: Hollowpaw

Grasspelt – ginger-and-white tom with spiky fur and green eyes

Daylight Warriors:

Bellesong – pointed silver she-cat with bluish-gray eyes and a blue collar

Maxspring – black-and-white tom with pale green eyes

Lilyshadow – black she-cat with cream-colored flecks and amber eyes

Apprentice: Jynxpaw

Tabbystripe – pale ginger and brown tabby tom with yellow eyes

Apprentice: Pepperpaw

Lunawing – pretty silver tabby with black paws and green eyes

Apprentices:

Oakpaw – sturdy brown tom with a white belly and amber eyes

Burnpaw – dark golden tabby she-cat with amber eyes

Hollowpaw – dark gray tom with blue eyes

Daylight Apprentices:

Pepperpaw – speckled brown-and-white she-cat with green eyes

Jynxpaw – jet-black she-cat with amber eyes

Queens:

Juniperleaf – blue-gray tabby she-cat with golden eyes (Mother of Stormeyes' kits)

Palestream – pale ginger she-cat with a white stripe on her muzzle and green eyes (Mother of Tabbystripe's kits – Pouncekit, Sandkit, Swiftkit, and Redkit)

Elders:

Flameheart – ginger and white she-cat with amber eyes, distantly related to Leafstar

Vinetail – black tom with a long tail and green eyes

Cats Outside the Clan

Apple – ginger tabby she-cat with white paws and a white chest, pale green eyes

Raven – glossy jet-black tom with amber eyes

Bat – black tom-kit with pale green eyes

Heron – silver-and-white tabby she-kit with blue eyes

Embers – black-and-ginger she-kit with green eyes

Hawk – muscular black and white tom with golden eyes

Tulip – pale gray she-cat with soft blue eyes and a white flash on her nose, kittypet

Marlin – gray-and-white tabby tom with blue eyes

Whitney – pure-white she-cat with amber eyes and a torn ear

Kindling – dark-ginger tom with a paler underbelly and yellow eyes

Littlepaw – brown tabby tom with small white paws

Pine – brownish-ginger she-cat with dark green eyes

Stripe – black-and-silver tabby tom with a long tail and blue eyes

Sunny – golden tabby she-cat with a white underbelly, legs, and chest, amber eyes

Raspberry – white tom with reddish-pink eyes, albino

Stormeyes – silver-gray tom with stormy gray-blue eyes


	2. Chapter 1: Lost Blood

**almost posted this up without replying to reviews oops-**

 **BRUH - thanks so much, i hope that i can deliver up to your expectations! c':**

 **SkyTheLoner - stormeyes is definitely planning quite a bit up his sleeve, hope you'll be sticking around to find out~ ;3c**

 **Infinite Drops of Rain - thanks so much! sorry it's a little late at this point, but this is continuing and will be for a while to come! owo/**

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"You'll never win this fight, you snake-hearted fox!"

Green eyes flashing, the black cat snapped his teeth together ferociously at his opponent. Her black-and-ginger fur was glossy in the midday sun, and she held one paw on the back of her pale-furred prisoner, giving her the impression of a cat that was strong and confident in her abilities. "Please, help!" The pinned she-cat squeaked, gazing desperately at the jet-black tom.

But the she-cat trapping her just held her down tighter, smirking. "Well, what are you waiting for then?" She taunted the tom, glowering. "Come and get me!"

Growling, the black cat pounced, the black-and-ginger she-cat taking him on with open paws. Together, they tumbled through the grass in a bundle of flailing legs and fur, the silver-and-white tabby getting to her own paws and shaking out her fur. When she realized how far they had gotten away from her, eyes wide, she scrambled after them. "Hey, wait for me!"

Watching from the comfortable shade of the tree a few fox-lengths away, pale green eyes carefully kept track of the three young cats. They never strayed, following every pounce and swipe, ears pricking up as they caught the sound of their squeals and playful growls. The she-cat let out a deep, humming sigh, closing her eyes in pleasure as a light breeze feathered through her thick ginger tabby pelt. Another beautiful day in Greenleaf, another day spent watching her kits and wishing deep down that things would never change.

A movement on the other side of the field caught her eye. Two dark shapes were making their way up the slope, prey dangling from their mouths, and the ginger tabby stood and stretched. "Kits!" As she called out to them, they broke free from the mess of a scuffle they had been having and turned to look at her at the same time. "It's lunchtime!"

Excited, high-pitched mews was all she got back in reply as they started racing across the hill. They kept trying to get ahead of each other along the way, and their mother shook her head, purring. _Must be racing to see who gets the first pick of food._

The two dark-furred cats reached the tree first, and the ginger tabby trotted out with her tail high to greet them. One of them met her partway, regarding her with warm amber eyes, and touched noses with her. "Hey, Apple. How were the kits while we were gone?" His deep purr vibrated in Apple's ear fur, and he shifted his focus to the three siblings still hurrying toward them.

"They were absolute _monsters_." Feigning weariness, Apple swayed on her paws, earning an amused grunt even from the sharp-eyed black-and-white tom by her mate's side.

Just then, the kits were upon them, eager and happy squeals battering their ears as they swarmed their father and the prey he carried. "Attack!" The black-and-ginger she-kit declared before they all latched their tiny claws into his fur.

Gasping, he fell onto his side, letting them climb all over him and leave the rabbit he'd been carrying lay limp in the grass. "Oh no, I dropped my lunch!" He moaned, closing his eyes in defeat. "Now _anyone_ can take it for themselves!"

Taking the bait, the kits abandoned their conquest and leapt for the rabbit, but Apple intervened before they could reach it and pushed it away. "Mama!" The jet-black tom-kit whined. "But we're hungry!"

"I know you are, Bat." She swept her tail across his back. "I'm sure Embers and Heron are too, but we must wait a couple of moments longer. We have visitors coming to join us this afternoon."

Ears perking back up, Heron kneaded the ground, blue eyes sparkling. "Is Auntie Tulip coming?" At Apple's nod, she bounced happily on her paws.

"Now, go and play for a little bit longer my dears, okay?" She watched fondly as they raced away again, closer to where their parents sat this time, and continued their play-fighting. But her attention jerked away when she felt her mate's tail tip brush her shoulder, and she glanced at him curiously. "Raven? Is something wrong?"

He shared a look with the black-and-white tom, whose golden gaze was as serious as ever. "While we were out hunting, me and Hawk didn't run into any other cats. At all." He flicked an ear. "Normally, we see at least some of that we know; Whitney, Littlepaw, Marlin… But the whole forest seemed to be empty of anyone else."

Apple tilted her head, a mixture of concern and confusion starting to churn in her belly. "You don't think something happened to them, do you?" A sudden thought struck her, and she took in a sharp breath. "Do you think this is why Tulip is late as well?" Sometimes, it took some time for the housecat to find a good time to slip away from her housefolk, but…

"I don't think we should be so hasty to come to conclusions." Hawk grumbled. "Just because we didn't see them doesn't mean they all died suddenly, or something."

Apple still didn't feel so certain. It wasn't the first time cats had disappeared from the forested area beside the Twolegplace, and they almost always never came back when they did. She recalled, the pang of loss still ringing in her heart, when her sister and mother had been stolen away by Twolegs when she just a kit. The only way she had managed to avoid the same fate was by clawing her way up a tree as fast as possible and hoping they didn't notice her as well. Raven seemed to understand what Apple was thinking about and pressed closer to her.

"Apple!"

A breathless gasp, carried by the wind, suddenly caught Apple's attention. Along with it came a familiar scent, and a slim, pale gray shape soon followed over the horizon. "Tulip!"

Without waiting for her mate or his brother, Apple tore across the grass, leaving stray stalks flying in her wake. She could already tell that her housecat friend was very much out of breath, her slim flanks heaving as she ran, and her normally shy, gentle eyes glittered apprehensively. They skidded to a halt as soon as they were close enough to speak, and Apple immediately touched noses with her. "What's going on, did something happen, are you hurt?" She didn't mean to overwhelm her friend with questions, but they poured out of her as she tried to catch her breath.

Tulip shook her head a couple of time, taking one last gasp before speaking. "T-this weird cat showed up… In the Twolegplace." Her blue eyes glanced quickly at something behind Apple before continuing, but she could already tell that Raven and Hawk had followed her and were now listening by their scents. "H-he started gathering as many cats together as he could. Then he started saying something about a great opportunity, a way for us to learn more about our heritage. That we… had greater destinies than we could ever have dreamed of."

Apple felt relieved to know why so many cats had suddenly disappeared, but now she was filled with an entirely new sense of confusion. _A strange cat?_ He definitely sounded strange, by what Tulip was currently telling them. But what did he mean, a 'chance to learn more about their heritage'? Apple knew who her family was, even if they were now gone. Raven and Hawk had always known that they were brothers, obviously, and she knew that Tulip's family were all housecats as well, living with housefolk of their own. Something about this felt deeper than any of them knew…

But Apple still couldn't forget how she knew nothing about who her father was. It was far-fetched, but just the thought that maybe this cat could possibly know of their kin made her heart rate quicken.

"An opportunity?" Hawk echoed Tulip with a tone of skepticism. "A 'great destiny'? This just sounds like some cat trying to show off to me."

"It certainly sounds like this cat has a way with words, at least." Raven mused, although he still looked curious to know more.

"Well, if you want to know more about it, he said he was going to be holding some sort of meeting for anyone who was 'ready to know the truth'." Tulip's tail twitched anxiously. "Around that one big rock in the forest a little ways away from here. You know where it is, right?"

Apple nodded. "Of course. We've passed by it many times before while hunting." Then, she paused, glancing at Tulip in surprise. "Why, are you planning on going?"

Tulip hesitated, shifting her weight back and forth. Hawk snorted. "Well, I suppose going could be good for a laugh, right, Raven?"

But Raven didn't reply right away; instead, he looked thoughtfully at Apple. "…Maybe this is something we should check out." He suggested. "It's not like there's any downside to _not_ going, right? What if we don't realize how important this could possibly be?"

Hawk just snorted again, but now seemed more open to the idea considering his brother actually wanted to go. Apple frowned, casting a glance at the kits still playing in the distance. "Do you think we should bring the kits too?"

"I don't see why not; if it affects us, it affects them too." Raven rubbed her muzzle comfortingly with his own. "Besides, they're getting older now. They have their own minds and opinions. Plus, I'm almost sure they'd just sneak off and follow us on their own if we tried to leave them alone."

Apple had to admit that he had a point, on both counts. Bat, Embers, and Heron were quickly approaching their sixth moon. They weren't just kits anymore, and they wouldn't appreciate still being treated like they were either. "I suppose you're right. Tulip," the pale gray she-cat met her eyes as she faced her, "you can come along with us too. I know you want to know more about what's going on too."

Looking relieved, Tulip touched noses with her friend gratefully. Hawk jerked his head toward the prey they left several fox-lengths away. "Well, come on then. We'll eat our lunch first and then head out."

* * *

Apple caught wind of the crowd of cats before they even saw a glimpse of them through the trees, various scent trails all heading toward the same place. It was almost overwhelming to sense all at once, the amount of cats that had apparently decided to give this gathering a try. At her paws, Bat screwed up his nose, and Heron sneezed. "Mama, I didn't even know there were this many cats in the whole world!" Embers gasped, causing her mother to purr in laughter.

"They must be just up ahead." Tulip murmured, looking nervous. Apple knew how much the housecat hated to be in large crowds and flicked her tail against her shoulder sympathetically.

The faint sounds of conversation had started out quiet from a distance, but now that they were close, the various meows overlapping each other was almost like thunder against the calm forest air. Then after one more push through the bushes, they were upon the gathering place. Familiar and unfamiliar pelts melted together into a lake of multicolored fur, brushing past each other in an attempt to find friends and cats they knew as well as a good place to settle. Apple felt her three kits press into her fur as if they were trying to hide, and even Tulip huddled closer to her friend and her family.

"Over here!" Hawk had broken away without them even noticing, having found a spot to sit beside a snowy-white cat that Apple recognized as Whitney, from the long-healed tear in her left ear. Pushing their way through the crowd, Apple, Tulip, Raven, and the kits joined them.

 _So many cats…_ Apple flicked her tail at Whitney in greeting before scanning the crowd once more. Names floated to the surface of her mind as she spotted cats they knew: Pine, Sunny, Kindling, Stripe… But a yowl coming from above them all caused her to jerk her attention to the very top of the large stone on the edge of the clearing.

For a moment, she locked eyes with the cat she assumed had gathered them all here, almost startled by the storm of blue and gray in his gaze. His silver-gray fur was long and glossy, defining lines of muscle beneath his pelt, and he carried himself with a confidence and pride that Apple didn't think she had ever seen in any cat. Not only did he look strong, but he also carried the marks of many old wounds, from a nicked ear to a long line of a scar that cut across his shoulder. How many battles had this cat taken part in? _Who…_ is _this cat?_ Apple felt the fur along her shoulder rise in anticipation.

Once everyone seemed to have quieted enough for him to continue, he slowly ran his gaze across all those who had chosen to come, and Apple thought he looked vaguely impressed. "A fine crowd." His meow was a deep rumble, like the coming of a distant thunderstorm. "It pleases me to know that you all are interested in knowing the truth – the truth about your bloodline, the truth of who you all really are."

Apple noticed many of the cats around her glancing curiously at each other. It almost felt as though there were electricity crackling through the air, a palpable sense of excitement at what he was about to tell them. Even her three kits had removed themselves from hiding in their mother's fur, and were now staring up at the stranger with round, awestruck eyes.

"You will not be disappointed, for I am here to change all of your lives forever!" He stamped his paw against the stone, claws unsheathed and eyes glittering. "No longer will you simply be cats trying to make it by on your own. You all have a destiny, a destiny to shine as bright as the stars in the sky!"

He stood tall, head held high, muscles rippling along his shoulders. "And I am here to lead you all onto the path of that destiny. My name is Stormeyes, warrior of the honorable SkyClan, and I have been sent here to teach you all I know of the ways of the warriors."


	3. Chapter 2: Stormeyes

**js, i'm going to be trying to do at least 2,000-ish words per chapter, as that seems to be my pattern with this story so far :P  
**

 **but here's another chapter for you guys! i'm a bit sad i didn't get any reviews on the last chapter tho ;w; please, if you have any thoughts on this chapter at all, leave a review! i'll keep writing regardless, but could i get at least one or two before the next chapter? not to pressure anyone, or anything ;;**

* * *

 _Warriors?_

Any other thought that Apple had at that moment was immediately drowned out by the confused, but curious buzz of chatter following his words. Every cat's eyes sparkled with newfound interest, and Stormeyes fell silent for a few moments, as if encouraging his audience to absorb what he had told them so far. Even Hawk, who was usually more stoic and quiet than a rock, murmured to Whitney loud enough to Apple to pick up on it. "I want to know about this 'SkyClan' he says he's from." He grumbled. "Can't say I've ever heard of it."

"I can already hear the myriad of questions you have for me." Stormeyes caught everyone's attention once more with a flick of his tail. "Who am I? Where is SkyClan? Rather, what _is_ SkyClan? What is a warrior? You desire answers, and I have them for you – all of you."

He stood from his sitting position with an air of authority, and Apple found that she couldn't look away. None of the cats around her seemed to be able to either. He had them hooked. _He knows the influence he has over other cats._ Apple frowned, slightly unnerved by his presence.

"First, I will begin by telling you of the great SkyClan." He lifted his head, gazing down at his audience, seemingly pleased at the reaction he was already garnering. "We are brave, honorable warriors, bound together by our belief in our StarClan ancestors and our loyalty to the warrior code."

For a moment, his eyes grew dark. "Once, our Clan was lost to time. Nothing but a legend, a myth, a rumor. But then, a savior came to us in the form of Firestar, one of greatest leaders in Clan history." He swept his gaze across the crowd. "He found SkyClan's descendants, scattered through the forest and the Twolegplace, who lived without ever knowing of their deep and noble history. He showed us the ways of the warrior code, and with his guidance, SkyClan once again gained the ability to contact StarClan. However…"

He paused, giving his enraptured crowd a moment of suspense. "I believe that Firestar didn't not find _every_ SkyClan descendant." Apple's heart skipped a beat at the implication behind his words. "And that is the true purpose of my mission; I believe that you – all of you – could potentially have a greater destiny than any of you could have ever imagined."

The crowd turned into a chaos of shocked and amazed gasps and exclamations, eyes shining and full of wonder as cats turned to look at one another. Apple and Raven shared a wide-eyed glance, and at Apple's paws, her three kits tumbled and clamored over one another with loud squeals of excitement. "Mama, Mama! What if we're warriors too?" Embers rapidly batted her paws against her mother's foreleg, tail lashing. "We could be special!"

"But…" Apple tilted her ears, interested, but still too full of questions to join in the energetic chatter. "We still don't know what a warrior even _is_. And what is he talking about when he mentions 'StarClan', or the warrior code?"

"It is true, I have not yet told you all the information that you need." Apple jerked her head back up, realizing that Stormeyes had overheard her above the cacophony of the other cats. Quickly, they fell silent in their desire to hear more. "Without the warrior code, there could be no StarClan, and without StarClan, the warrior code would have never come to be. By living according to the warrior code, everyone born to the Clan has a purpose. Leaders run the Clan beside their deputy, who makes sure that the warriors hunt and fight to ensure the Clan's survival. No cat ever goes hungry, especially those who cannot hunt for themselves, like nursing queens, kits, or the Clan's elders. And when you're too old to fight or hunt, you are assured a place in the elders' den, where you are allowed to rest and live out the rest of your days in peace for the service you have given your clanmates."

Stormeyes shifted his gaze to the sky. "And when you're sick, or injured? Instead of only being able to hope that you recover, in a Clan, you have a medicine cat who will care for you and give you the treatment you need until you are fit to return to your duties." Apple had to admit he had a point; she could easily recall the time that Bat fell ill due to a rotten mouse, and she had spent many sleepless nights watching over him, terrified, with no idea how to make him better.

"W…" To Apple's surprise, Tulip had spoken up beside her, mew turning to a squeak as many of the gathered cats turned their attention on her. "What about… StarClan?"

Stormeyes gave the timid pale gray she-cat a smile that seemed to ease her nervousness, if only slightly. "StarClan," he whisked his tail, gesturing toward the faintest of stars forming across the now pale orange sky, "is where a warrior goes once they meet their fate. It doesn't matter how old you are, or what your duty to the Clan is. As long as you live by the warrior code, you are promised a place in StarClan after you die, to watch over your loved ones and guide them through times of trouble. The medicine cat does not only heal, but is also given the ability to speak to StarClan, a duty shared by both them and the leader of the Clan."

 _An… afterlife? That exists?_ Tulip looked stricken, as if she had just had a revelation of some kind, but Hawk let out a huff of laughter. "So, you're telling us that the stars are actually all the spirits of cats from the past?" He sounded unconvinced. "You sure you aren't just eating too much catmint or something?"

A few purrs of laughter told Apple that some cats agreed with him, but she hesitated. How could they say it _didn't_ exist, seeing this was the first time they had heard about it at all? A vague memory surfaced in her mind, of a time she had stargazed with her mother, asking her what the stars were and why there were so many of them. Her mother just smiled then, touching her muzzle to the top of her daughter's head. _"One day, you will know exactly what they are."_

Was this what she had meant?

"I know that some of the concepts I am placing before you may seem too outlandish to some." Stormeyes acknowledged with a stiff nod. "But I assure you, this mission is more important to me than anything I've ever done. I am loyal to the warrior code through and through, and have nothing to gain from lying to you."

"I wanna be part of a Clan!" Embers eyes sparkled, and she stepped forward bravely past her siblings to stand even a little bit close to Stormeyes' rocky perch. "I wanna be a warrior and fight and hunt, like you!"

Amused murmurs rippled through the crowd, Apple dipping her head to Stormeyes in a silent apology for her daughter's interruption. The silver-gray tom, however, nodded approvingly at her. "I already know that your kit would make a fine warrior – all of you would, with the same amount of conviction and willingness to learn." He paused, leaping down from the top of the boulder until he was standing on level ground with everyone else. "I will not force you all to learn the Clan lifestyle. It is a choice for you and you to make alone. With that said… who wants to continue learning more about being part of a Clan, and the warrior code?"

Some stepped forward to stand by Stormeyes without a second thought, while others took a moment to discuss the proposition with their friends and family. A few simply left, slipping back into the forest to go back to their lives. Apple quickly wrapped a paw around her kits to keep them from surging forward to join the SkyClan warrior, much to their dismay and frustration, but Apple ignored their frustrated whines to cast a concerned look at her mate. "What do you think we should do, Raven?"

She wanted to hear his opinion, of course, but Apple knew with certainty deep in her heart that she _had_ to know more. It wasn't that she had been so easily pulled along by his words, not like many of the other cats who now crowded around him with their eager questions. No, something else inside of her, some part of her she didn't even know existed until now, burned with desire to be… _more_. The endless cycle of life on the hills, as much as she hated to admit it, had grown stale. In a way, she didn't want anything to change – life was easy as it was, and her kits were able to play without worrying about danger lurking around every corner. She loved being a caring mate and mother, but… it was like there was some greater mission she had yet to fulfill.

Raven had a knowing look on his face, and Apple bit her lip. She should have known he'd be able to see how she really felt. "Seems the kits aren't the only ones interested in joining up with Stormeyes, hm?" Apple felt her ears grow hot, and Hawk gave her an incredulous glance with wide golden eyes.

"Apple, you're _seriously_ considering this?" He narrowed his eyes, but Whitney sitting beside him kept casting looks over at Stormeyes' group like she couldn't decide what to do either.

"It's not like everything he said doesn't make sense, brother." Raven moved to stand beside his mate, and Apple touched her muzzle to his shoulder appreciatively. "Living in a group would have its benefits. None of us would have to worry if we fell ill, and leafbare would be infinitely easier to deal with when it comes to hunting and knowing you'll always have a safe place to sleep."

"Exactly." Apple nodded her agreement, willing Hawk to understand where they were coming from. "And… what if what he's said is true? That we have Clan ancestry already? That has to mean something! I have to know what potential that gives us."

Tulip pawed at the grass. "D-do you think… that housecats could have Clan blood as well?" She was looking at Stormeyes, tilting her ears back.

"Of course, Tulip!" Apple reassured her friend, wrapping her tail over her shoulders. "He said that SkyClan was scattered across the Twolegplace as well as the forest. You have just as much of a chance as any of us."

The pale gray she-cat smiled at Apple, pulling away and slowly padding over to join the SkyClan warrior. Hawk let out a deep sigh. "…I still don't know about this StarClan business. But I guess I'll stick around to see what he has to teach us."

Whisking around, he stalked toward Stormeyes' group, Whitney soon following after him. Breaking free from her grasp, Bat gave his parents a pleading look from wide green eyes. "Mama, Daddy? Does this mean we're going to become warriors too?" Heron and Embers tumbled to his side, following his lead and staring up at Apple and Raven.

The ginger tabby shared one last glance with her mate, and he purred. "Yes, kits. We're going to follow Stormeyes to learn all he is here to share with us."

The resounding squeal of joy was almost ear-piercing, the three siblings tripping over themselves in their eagerness to gather around the silver-gray SkyClan warrior. Purring with laughter, Raven stood to follow them, but paused when he noticed that Apple hadn't moved. "Apple?" He frowned. "Is there something wrong?"

Apple shifted her weight on her paws, not responding right away. She wasn't really sure how she could describe how she felt without just sounding like she was worrying over nothing, but… How much could they really trust him after just one speech? She was torn. He told them this was his greatest mission, but also said nothing of whether he had been sent by his leader or not. _Perhaps it was just something we were supposed to assume?_ Regardless, Raven was still waiting for her to say something, so she shook herself. "No, nothing's wrong." A prickle of guilt ran through her fur, but her mate seemed to be so eager… she didn't want to bring down his mood. "Just… This is so overwhelming. Do you think he's planning to take us back to his Clan after he's done teaching us everything?"

"Perhaps, although part of me doesn't think so." Raven flicked his ear in reply. "For now, we'll listen to him and see where he's going with this. But if we think anything could potentially be dangerous to us or the kits, we'll leave. Does that sound good to you?"

Reassured by his words, Apple smiled, padding up to him and touching noses with him. Sometimes, she didn't know what she would do without her mate's gentle support always by her side. Before she had met him, she'd still been travelling all by herself, grieving for her lost family and barely scrapping by during the long leafbare ahead of her. It didn't take long for them to fall in love; Raven gave her the love and assurance she needed to mend the hole in her heart, and her thoughtful strength of mind and spirit pulled them through more than one rough spot. _Regardless of what happens, we have each other. Nothing bad will happen as long as that is true._

"That sounds perfect." Twining tails with him for a moment, Apple pulled away, glancing back at the group of cats gathered around Stormeyes. "Let's see what else he has to tell us."


	4. Chapter 3: Remnants of the Storm

**this update is a lil shorter than the others bc i felt like it worked better on its own (especially since this chapter takes place in skyclan after stormeyes' exile :'3c)**

 **there will be more notes at the bottom of the chapter, for now i'm going to respond to reviews and then leave you to it!**

 **BrightMind - thanks so much for reviewing! c': skyclan just always seemed like such an interesting concept of a clan to me, so i agree with your thoughts on their rules and how it sets them apart from the others! one of my favorite parts about thinking up this story was Apple and Raven's family dynamic (with Raven's brother living with them and how the kits interact with each other especially), so i'm glad you like them too. stormeyes' time will definitely come, but at this point in time he's not so much the same cat he was when he was exiled and he's had time to think about what he's going to do. for reference, it's been a couple of moons since his departure from skyclan, and he's been traveling for quite a while now. the place he's at rn is kinda like the place firestar and sandstorm came across when they went to find skyclan; a group of rogues, loners, and kittypets living in the same place who don't particularly have knowledge of skyclan, but still have the possibility to be descended from them!**

* * *

Juniperleaf hated that life continued after Stormeyes' exile.

She hated her Clanmates, who now never uttered his name without a scornful curl of their lips. She hated his parents for avoiding the nursery like it was a bed of infection, for walking around like they were being haunted, for acting like they _cared_. She hated her kits, her beautiful, life-ruining kits, for having his eyes, his pelt, his overconfidence and his passion. She hated the wind that continued to blow and the sky that continued to change and the trees that continued to grow and that she was the only one that still felt stuck in that single moment that changed her whole life forever.

And she hated StarClan for allowing him to be taken from her.

Even now, moons later, the blue-gray tabby queen lay limp at the nursery's entrance, eyes watching her kits but otherwise completely lost in her own thoughts. They'd take swipes at one another, and she would be reminded of all the times she had argued with him. Why did they fight so much? But she could remember the inferno that would burn in her chest every time she looked at him, and the need to relieve that burning sensation somehow. It was simply what they did.

The other cats would watch them, amused, but also confused in equal measure. They wanted to know how, even through all the fighting, they didn't end up hating one another. That was when Juniperleaf knew they would never understand. It was _impossible_ for her to hate Stormeyes.

Even now, that was true. And Juniperleaf hated that truth most of all.

"Mother?" Her gaze shifted without moving a muscle, the stormy blue-gray eyes she found still giving her the sensation of drowning in deep, murky water. It was her youngest child, Rainkit. The spitting image of his father. The only one who didn't act like him.

"What is it?" Juniperleaf murmured, voice still rasping from its lack of use over the past moons.

Her always hesitant, always shy, always worrying kit shuffled his paws. "Am I…" It almost seemed like he wasn't going to say anymore, but Juniperleaf narrowed her eyes at him to continue, and he did. "…Am I supposed to hate my father?"

Juniperleaf felt as though she had just been crushed by the weight of a rockfall. Immediately, she stood, almost causing Rainkit to fall back with a squeak of surprise, and maybe even a hint of fear. "Kits!" Her yowl was like a clap of thunder echoing through the gorge, and her other two kits broke away from each other at the sound. "Come here!"

Looking terrified, they scrambled to their paws and started to stumble over, and Juniperleaf lowered her face to be nose to nose with Rainkit's. His blue-gray eyes went wide, his whole body seeming to shrink under his mother's sharp gaze. "Who," Every word was spoken in a menacing snarl, "told you to hate your father?"

"I-I…" His ears flattened against his head. "I h-heard some of the warriors… they w-were talking about h-how much we looked like… S-Stormeyes… A-and they said his n-name so horribly every time… s-so I started to think…"

Luckily for Rainkit, at that moment his two sisters slid in beside him, both shivering and quiet but still enough to interrupt the conversation. Juniperleaf raised her head, giving Thunderkit and Lightningkit a hard glare from her cold, glittering golden eyes. Whisking around to slip back in the nursery, she shouted another order at her kits. "Inside!"

She didn't glance over her shoulder to see if they were following, knowing that they were by their shaky pawsteps against the dusty stone floor. Once she was sure no one would be able to hear them or intervene, she turned back to her kits and sat, long tail curled around her paws. Hunched over beside one another, the kits could only stare back up at her, scared into submission.

Perhaps Juniperleaf should have felt bad for garnering such fearful respect from her kits. But if she was going to suffer from Stormeyes' departure, they were going to suffer from it too, and there was _no way_ she was going to let her kits decide they could hate him instead.

"If I ever," she curled her lip, threatening her kits with fire in her eyes, "discover that you feel anything but _pride_ in your heritage, I promise you that I will never forget it. And I'll make sure you remember that for the _rest of your lives_."

The silence that followed was deafening. Trembling like a leaf in the wind, brave Thunderkit stuttered out an almost inaudible question. "D-d… Do you hate us, Mama?"

Juniperleaf's eyes softened like sickeningly sweet honey, tail shifting to curl around the cowering scraps of fur at her paws. She felt Rainkit flinch under her touch. "Even if I wanted to, I couldn't. You're all that I have left." Her purr was hollow. "I just had to make sure I knew how you felt about your father. Aren't you so sad that he's gone?" She waited to see them all nod before continuing. "I'm heartbroken as well, my sweets. But you're going to honor your father's legacy, yes?"

"Y-yeah, of course we will!" Lightningkit said a little too eagerly, with Thunderkit nodding a little too enthusiastically. "Um… C-can we go play outside some more?"

Smiling, Juniperleaf nodded slowly, but none of them moved until she drew her tail away from their shoulders. Then, they all bolted from the den, returning to tumbling across the sand with flailing paws. And she watched them without moving, like a vulture hovering over a corpse. Her eyes narrowed.

Rainkit was the only one who hadn't agreed.

* * *

 **so there's so insight as to how skyclan is doing after stormeyes killed the deputy and was exiled. :'D**

 **it was never stated in the prologue, but juniperleaf was listed in the allegiances as being stormeyes' mate (the allegiances are going to be updated to include the birth of their kits now also). when he was being exiled, she was watching, but from the nursery out of sight of everyone else bc she didn't want to draw attention to herself. she has very... conflicting and strange feelings about her mate. she wants to be angry and hate him for what he did and for leaving her behind, but she just can't bring herself to.**

 **her relationship with her kits is also a very dark and unhealthy one. she did name them all after him, in a way (since rain, thunder, and lightning are all what makes up a storm), but she definitely isn't sweet and loving to them even if they do remind her of him. she might not be the same kind of mother that rainflower was, for instance, but she's her own brand of poor parent to them regardless.**

 **most of skyclan doesn't particularly trust her either, but they can't kick a nursing mother and her kits to the curb just because of who their father was. ;w;**


End file.
